Maggie Hilson

Rice MBA for Professionals Class of 2012 – Evening Schedule

"I currently work in mergers and acquisitions at Plains All American LP which is a Houston-based midstream energy company. I have spent the past 7 years in the finance industry in a variety of roles which included sell‐side research analyst, buy‐side research analyst and other financial roles while taking part in a rotational professional development program. The Rice MBA is the only program I considered because it had everything I wanted. The program is highly ranked, has a first class campus in Houston, and offers an evening program. The program has a unique offering called Immersion, which is a 6-day required introduction to the MBA program.

Immersion is truly a jump start into business school. After the first day, I left feeling like I had made a dozen new friends and had become part of the Rice family. The week was rigorous as we covered a lot of material and had to complete a substantial amount of work in a short time frame. That said, once Immersion was over I felt an inner drive emerge that made me excited to start the program. The entire MBA process suddenly became a reality and I gained confidence that I could complete the program successfully.

The value of the Rice MBA to me is about career advancement, self-fulfillment, and networking. I joined the program in order to enhance my skills and to get exposed to an intellectually challenging environment, both inside and outside of the classroom. The opportunity not only presents great networking possibilities in the city in which I work and reside, but has also sparked lifelong friendships."